escape valve

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English

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Noun

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escape valve (plural escape valves)

  1. A valve on a boiler to let the steam escape.
  2. (figurative) Any psychological mechanism to relieve stress.
    • 2018, Peter Beattie, Social Evolution, Political Psychology, and the Media in Democracy, page 148:
      Lastly, self-affirmation provides us an escape valve if we come face to face with the intrinsic evil of our actions and role within a group.

Translations

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